Flooding shutters key baby formula site again

A baby formula plant in Sturgis, Mich., which resumed production less than two weeks ago after a monthslong closure that exacerbated a nationwide shortage, has again shut down after parts of the facility were flooded during a severe storm.

The company that operates the plant, Abbott Nutrition, said Wednesday that it was forced to stop production of its EleCare specialty formula in Sturgis, one of its five manufacturing sites, after severe weather moved through southwestern Michigan on Monday.

In February, Abbott closed the plant and recalled batches of its Similac, Alimentum and EleCare formulas after the Food and Drug Administration received four consumer complaints of bacterial infections.

At least two babies died, although Abbott has said that there was no evidence its formula caused any known infant illnesses.

On Wednesday, the company said that it was assessing damage from the storm and cleaning the plant, which would delay production and distribution for a few weeks, but that it had sufficient supplies of EleCare and most of its specialty and metabolic formulas to meet demand until new formula is available.

“These products are being released to consumers in need in coordination with health care professionals,” it said.

Dr. Robert M. Califf, the FDA commissioner, said the agency had been informed about the stoppage but that it was not expected to have much impact, given increased imports of formula as well as production by Abbott and other manufacturers.

“While this is an unfortunate setback and a reminder that natural weather events can also cause unforeseen supply chain disruptions, I want to reassure consumers the all-of-government work to increase supply means we’ll have more than enough product to meet current demand,” he said on Twitter.

He made similar remarks in a Senate committee hearing on Thursday, saying that the FDA was working closely with Abbott to get the plant up and running again “as quickly as we possibly can.”

The storm disrupted power and caused wind damage, and the city’s municipal airport recorded 1.5 inches of rain, the Sturgis Journal reported.

The stoppage at the plant was the latest twist in the baby formula shortage in the United States, which started earlier this year, when pandemic-related supply chain issues, including a scarcity of some ingredients, made it difficult for parents to find formula.

After the shutdown in February, Abbott said it increased production at other manufacturing plants in the United States and at one in Ireland.

Abbott and other producers have been ramping up production as the government eases import regulations. “This means that the total amount of formula available, even before the Sturgis plant is back in production, exceeds the demand for formula prior to the recall,” Califf, the FDA commissioner, said.